Irish twins mauled by fox remain in serious condition

Lola and Isabella Kouparris, the two Irish twins savagely mauled by a fox in Hackney, London, just ten days ago, are in a stable but serious condition in hospital.

Isabella has now been put on a ventilator having contracted an infection in her lungs.

Their mother Pauline Koupparis said “She is doing really well...We still don't know when we will have her home but hopefully it will be in about a week."

Her twin Lola is recovering from wounds on her arm.

Their aunt, Joanne Welsh, has spoken to the media about the tremendous support which the family has received in the wake of the horrific attack.

Speaking in her hometown of Dromore, County Donegal, Joanne said "I just want to say thanks to everybody, because people are being just so good and kind." She said people were stopping on the street to enquiry about the babies’ health and offer support in any way they can.

The aunt described the horrific attack as “the stuff of nightmares”.

The twins mother Pauline Koupparis, 41, found the babies in their cots and covered in blood. The fox was still in the room and unthreatened by her presence.

Lola sustained injuries to her face and arm and Isabella also suffered arm injuries. Both have undergone emergency surgery.

The fox is believed to have entered the house through a door left open for ventilation.

The aunt described her feeling of helplessness at not even being able to visit the nine month old twins in hospital. “There's this feeling of complete helplessness,” she said. “There's absolutely nothing you can do; you can't even go to the hospital to visit. The whole thing is just absolutely terrible.”

She said that news of the fox attack had sent shock waves through her family.

Fox attacks are extremely rare. They’re generally only thought to happen if the fox is cornered or has rabies. It is presumed that this fox was suffering from rabies as the animal seemed not to even flinch despite Mr Koupparis running at it. The fox was later caught and humanly destroyed.